3towers Observatory Lunar 100/Lunar Features

The Lunar 100 was created by Charles A. Wood who states: "The Lunar 100 list is an attempt to provide Moon lovers with something akin to what deep-sky observers enjoy with the Messier catalog: a selection of telescopic sights to ignite interest and enhance understanding. [It is]... a selection of the Moon's 100 most interesting regions, craters, basins, mountains, rilles, and domes."

Woods challenges "...observers to find and observe them all and, more important, to consider what each feature tells us about lunar and Earth history."

To find out more about the Lunar 100 see the Sky & Telescope web site at: http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/moon/article_1199_1.asp.

The Lunar 100 features are arranged from the easiest to view to the most difficult. The Moon itself is L1. L2 is Earthshine, and L3 represents the dichotomy between the Lunar highlands and the Lunar Maria. While the Lunar 100 are concentrated all on the nearside of the Moon, they can not be seen in a single night or a single month. Some of them require special lighting conditions or phases of the Moon, and others, in addition, require very favorable librations of the Moon to bring them into view. The Lunar 100 is an observing list. However, the equipment at the 3towers Observatory was used to image the Lunar 100, mainly using the web cam techniques detailed.

Lunar Features|Lunar 100|Moon Halos|Lunar Webcam Imaging|Lunar Eclipses

Lunar Feature	Lunar Age in days (rounded down)	Thumbnail Image	Comments
81. Hesodius A	9.95 days
81. Hesiodus A	10.8 days
81. Hesiodus A	12.3 days		Pitatus is the crater in the center of the image. On its Western edge is Hesiodus. On Hesiodus Southern edge is Hesiodus A. Hesiodus A has a double concentric wall.
82. Linne	9.3 days		Linne is a tiny crater once reported to have disappeared. Linne is the small white patch below center.
82. Linne	9.6 days
83. Plato craterlets	9.7 days		Plato contains dozens of inner craterlets. Only the very largest couple of craterlets are barely shown on these images of Plato. Rukls atlas shows approximately 6 inner craterlets.
83. Plato craterlets	9.95 days
83. Plato craterlets	11.7 days
83. Plato craterlets	12.3 days
83. Plato craterlets	12.33 days
83. Plato craterlets	18 days
84. Pitatus	9.3 days
84. Pitatus	9.95 days
85. Langrenus rays	4.5 days
85. Langrenus	5.7 days
85. Langrenus	14.9 days
85. Langrenus rays	16 days
86. Prinz Rilles	11.7 days		Aristarchus is the bright crater near the left edge. Prinz is the upside down semicircular formation Northeast of Aristarchus.
86. Prinz Rilles	12 days
86. Prinz Rilles	13 days
86. Prinz Rilles	21.7 days
87. Humboldt	5.6 days
87. Humboldt	7.6 days
87. Humboldt	Full Moon (14.7 days)
87. Humboldt	14.9 days
88. Peary	13 days		The craters are labeled: Peary (P), Byrd (B), Goldschmidt (G), Anaxagoras (A), de Sitter (dS), Euctemon (E), Nansen (N).
89. Valentine Dome	20.4 days
90. Armstrong, Aldrin, & Collins	6.05 days		Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins are small craters near the Apollo 11 landing site.   The craters are labeled in this image.
90. Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins	7.6 days		The craters are labeled in this image.
90. Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins	8.1 days		The craters are labeled in this image.